Starting in The Boys to Become the Ultimate Lifeform.

227. Chapter 227: Someday in the Future, I Will Take Something From You

Led by the caddy, Hughie met Xia Shang, who was currently swinging.

"Upper-class sport, cool~" Hughie smiled, took the golf club, and took aim at the golf ball on the ground.

"A sport you can experience for two hundred US dollars isn't exactly upper-class. The only good thing here is the nice environment."

Xia Shang watched the golf ball fly out in a parabolic arc, then land on the lawn and roll forward. Unfortunately, a gust of wind had altered its trajectory, causing it to narrowly miss the hole.

"If I had this experience when I was in school, I could have bragged about it to my friends for a long time," Hughie joked while receiving hands-on guidance from the caddy.

"Mr. Mystery, I thought you'd arrange the meeting at a restaurant in New York like last time. I didn't expect it to be a golf course. To be honest, my calves were trembling on the way here, afraid someone would try to sell me a membership card costing hundreds of thousands of US dollars a year."

"It's not that exaggerated. Want something to drink?"

"Anything." Hughie swung his first ever golf club forcefully, but like most beginners, he didn't hit the golf ball.

"Gentlemen, please wait a moment."

The sharp-eyed caddy wisely retreated a few steps, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.

"How's Billy doing lately?" Xia Shang asked.

"Same as always. Ever since Becca died, he's become a drunkard, practically drunk senseless every day." Hughie hadn't expected Becca's death to hit Billy so hard. He had initially thought Billy would go crazy trying to get revenge on Homelander, but that hadn't happened.

However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Given their strength, trying to mess with Homelander would undoubtedly be like hitting a rock with an egg, inviting their own destruction.

"I heard about Becca's death too. But it's been a month, and he still hasn't gotten better?" Xia Shang picked up the mineral water bottle on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

He didn't seem surprised by Billy's behavior.

Hughie shook his head. "He's become moody and unpredictable. Sometimes I can only find him outside nightclubs."

"So what are you planning to do next? Disband The Boys? Go back to living peaceful lives?"

"As it stands, I don't seem to have any other choice, unless Billy pulls himself together again. Otherwise, we can only maintain the status quo."

Hughie also couldn't figure out what Billy was thinking.

Logically, after Becca's death, he should have been seeking frantic revenge. But now, Billy was just like a drunkard addicted to alcohol.

"Actually, a life like this isn't bad either. At least I don't have to worry about being killed at any moment like before." Hughie wasn't very interested in golf, so after a few attempts, he decisively gave up.

"I heard Vought is developing a new product recently, Temporary Compound V," Xia Shang said calmly.

"Temporary Compound V?" Hughie didn't plan to ask how the other party knew this confidential information. In his eyes, the other party had always been very mysterious and knew a lot about Vought International.

"It's a serum that temporarily grants ordinary humans superpowers, like the Compound Six you used, but without the drawback of memory loss." In fact, Xia Shang had been following the research and development of Compound V. It was now in the clinical trial stage. Although it hadn't been put into use yet, the efficacy was basically stable.

Hughie couldn't help but frown. "That's not good news. Once this serum is spread, it will cause unimaginable chaos. I feel like my workload will increase by at least tenfold."

"Don't worry, Stan Edgar won't let this serum enter the market for now. After all, at its price, ordinary families probably can't afford it." Xia Shang put down the mineral water bottle in his hand and looked out at the distant scenery.

"Getting back to the point, I heard you were looking for me this time because you wanted to know about Payback?"

"That's right. I want to know if Soldier Boy is really dead. I remember you said last time that Homelander isn't the strongest Supe."

Clearly, Hughie hadn't given up on investigating Vought, and he also wanted some good information to help Billy snap out of it.

"You should ask Mallory about this, not me. She knows a lot more than I do," Xia Shang said.

"I doubt Mallory would answer a drunkard's question."

Hughie felt a bit discouraged.

"He just hasn't gotten over Becca's death. Maybe he needs more time. He'll sober up."

"I hope so." Hughie didn't hold out much hope for Xia Shang's words.

After Hughie left, Billy, dressed in black, quietly appeared behind Xia Shang.

"He doesn't seem to know what you've been up to these past few days?" Xia Shang said.

"He doesn't need to know."

Billy said coldly, pulling a vial of Compound V from his pocket. "Thirteen addicts, not a single one survived. They all exploded. The death rate for this stuff is higher than I thought."

"That's why I warned you, it's best to wait until Temporary Compound V is developed before you inject it. But you seem a bit impatient." After Becca's death, Billy had privately sought out Xia Shang. His purpose was to get the Compound Six in Xia Shang's hands, but Xia Shang hadn't given it to him.

Because he knew very well that Compound Six was a deceptive facade, fine for fooling Hughie, but if given to Billy, it would quickly be exposed. So the only thing Xia Shang could give him was Compound V.

"Who knows when that stuff will be successfully developed? I can't wait that long," Billy said in a low voice.

"Perhaps you could gamble. Maybe you'll be the lucky one."

"I never believe in luck. I only believe in myself."

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes before he put the Compound V back.

"Why are you helping me?" Billy didn't believe the Mysterious Person in front of him would help him for no reason.

"Didn't I tell you before? Someday in the future, I will take something from you."

"Including my life?"

"Of course." Xia Shang smiled.

But exactly what he would take depended on the fusion requirements for Billy's ability. If it was his life, then he could only blame his bad luck.

Hearing Xia Shang's reason, Billy actually felt relieved. His life was nothing compared to revenge. If the other party wanted it, they could take it.

"So, am I supposed to focus on Payback like you said? But even if I find Soldier Boy, how can I guarantee he won't turn against Vought and choose to help me get rid of Homelander?" Billy voiced the problem that had been worrying him.

(End of Chapter)